The present invention relates to railroads, and more particularly concerns a railroad missile garrison, and even more particularly concerns a computer controlled railroad missile garrison system.
In the past, it has been proposed to deploy Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM's) in a rail garrison mode. One proposal has been to use trains, each having at least one car with a launch ready ICBM thereon, and other support cars as necessary. It has been proposed to operate these trains on existing rail over an expansive geographic region, so as to make them a much more difficult target for enemy attack. It is also proposed to maintain and operate these trains so that they are indistinguishable from other normal or nonmilitary trains already operating on the rail systems.
While this proposal has numerous beneficial aspects, and has met with widespread acceptance, it does have several serious drawbacks. One major problem is the danger presented to the local civilian population in the event of a train accident. With the ultra-hazardous cargo of these trains, it is imperative that they not be involved in accidents, such as collisions between trains or a derailing of the train due to operating the train at improper speeds for the terrain and track conditions. In both such accident types, the danger of the armed missile being thrown from the train into the surrounding countryside, is a distinct and disturbing possibility.
Consequently, there exists a need for improvement and advancement in the designs of rail missile garrison systems.